Notes and observations as I struggle to learn how to play chess from scratch.
Updates
ELO is from Chess.com. I play on Lichess when Iām not feeling sharp enough to give a good account of myself.
Puzzle rating: 2400 ā thatās 13,000 puzzles under the belt now
Taken a few weeks off because of work/travel, and because playing at 1500 requires a level of concentration I donāt have often at the moment. I donāt want to lose the rating by playing when Iām way off form so Iāve been playing on lichess to get back into it. Iāll have to bite the bullet soon and just accept that Iāll need drop down quite a bit to be able to play when Iām not feeling 100% on it.
Hit 1500 ELO
Had a two week period where I was on fire and everything made sense. Now itās faded and I feel way out of my depth at 1500. Even on my best form, every game feels like being squeezed to death gradually unless they give up a big tactical opportunity. I feel above average at spotting tactics and checkmates (with 10,000 puzzles done so far), but Iām clearly way off the pace positionally.
Hit 1400 ELO
Started looking at the Alapin for white ā need something in response to the Sicilian because itās so different
Hit 1300 ELO
Winning most games on tactics ā if I make it to an endgame and the opponent isnāt as clueless as me Iām fucked. Puzzles are starting to help with endgames but not enough to play them well at this level.
Puzzle rating: 2300
Hit 1200 ELO
The Caro Kann has helped me so much. Learning the intention behind its pawn moves helps me understand the intention of most openings I face. Playing it as black really fucks people up at this level, too.
Learning about the Caro Kann for black
Learning the Caro Kann has given context to the meaning of fighting for the centre ā now I understand why itās useful and more importantly, I can see what certain pawn moves are trying to achieve.
Puzzle rating: 2000
Started doing puzzles daily
Hit 1000 ELO
Hit 900 ELO
Hit 700 ELO
Learning about the Ruy Lopez for white
Learning one opening and trying to play it every chance I get is helping to glue together some of the advice Iām trying to follow. Without a rough plan to follow itās impossible to know the value of certain pieces or when to trade.
Starting from scratch
Girlfriend got me a chessboard for Christmas, never played before, donāt really know the rules.
Tips that helped me get off the ground
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Stick to symmetrical e-pawn openings until I learn to navigate opening principles.
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Donāt panic when opponents break opening principles, just stick to them myself as much as possible.
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Keep my pieces defended and look for my opponentās undefended pieces.
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Check carefully what becomes undefended when I plan to move a piece.
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Consider letting my opponent initiate trades early on so I develop a piece into the centre when re-capturing.
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Donāt move my pieces into the opponents half of the board until they can be well supported there.
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Develop knights quickly.
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Castle early to get my king out of the centre.
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Get the back rank clear to connect my rooks.
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Get bishops onto long diagonals where they control more squares.
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Move rooks onto open files, especially if they x-ray the opponentās king.
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Spend plenty of time calculating trades, and watch for defenders that are behind others.
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Prefer keeping bishops over knights if all else is equal.
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Watch for pins on my pieces that prevent re-capturing when trading.
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Be more open to trading evenly when I have a material advantage.
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Scan for forks, for and against, especially when a knight is in my half.
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Be patient when I have a material advantage in the endgame.
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Be mindful of losing pieces by being forced to move out of check in the endgame.